We all know that paying attention to the old adage, “Ready, Aim, Fire,” makes a whole lot more sense than “Fire, fire, fire.” Yet, day-to-day, in this environment of instant message delivery, a seeming need for instant message response and, yes, instant decision making, we seem to often “fire” with little consideration for “ready” or “aim.”

And, too often, working in this “fire, fire, fire” environment is frustrating, inefficient and less than effective.

The answer to this “fire” environment is strategic thinking and strategic planning, the “ready” and “aim” that should precede “fire.”

This is a preview of Strategic Communication – Ready, Aim, Fire or Fire, Fire Fire. Read the full post

We all know that paying attention to the old adage, “Ready, aim, fire,” makes a whole lot more sense than “Fire, fire, fire.” Yet, day-to-day, in this environment of instant message delivery, a seeming need for instant message response and, yes, instant decision making, we seem to often “fire” with little consideration for “ready” or “aim.”

And, too often, working in this “fire, fire, fire” environment is frustrating, inefficient and less than effective.

The answer to this “fire” environment is strategic thinking and strategic planning, the “ready” and “aim” that should precede “fire.”

Strategic planning, according to George Steiner in his book, “Strategic Planning,” provides “guidance, direction and boundaries for operational management (tactics).”

Over the past 15 years, my partner, Patsy Trubow, and I, designed and developed a Communication Effectiveness Study (CES) process that researches and evaluates how successfully an organization is communicating with the key constituencies whose understanding, support and advocacy is critical for that organization to be successful.

Our process involves researching and evaluating the messages that are sent, the messengers (or communication vehicles and modes) that are used, and the outcomes of those messages. The CES provides an analysis of:

the flow of information (how messages are sent and received);

the flow of influence (what means of communication are the most credible and trusted according to the receiving audience);

and the connectivity, consistency and continuity resulting from the flow of messages between message shapers, message senders and message receivers.

Message Shapers, as we use the term, are usually members of the organization’s executive team, some board members and senior members of the communication units. They are the people who decide what messages best represent the vision, mission, values, activities, products and services of the organization.

This is a preview of Introduction to the Communication Effectiveness Study (CES). Read the full post

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